This invention relates to a multi-range timer with which time can be set over a wide range.
In general, timers should be able to set and measure time over a wide time range from a short time period to a long time period according to their intended use. In the case where it is required to provide time limits of, for instance, one second, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes and 5 hours, it is necessary to provide ten different timers according to these time limits. In this case, the use of a number of different timers is undoubtedly troubleson. Also, in view of varying demands, it is practically impossible to manufacture enough different timers to meet all demands of users.
In order to eliminate the above described difficulties, timers with a plurality of time limits have been proposed and manufactured. One of the conventional timers of this type is a motor timer, in which by changing the output speed of the motor with a reduction gear mechanism, the time limit can be changed by changing the gear ratio of the mechanism. In this timer, a plurality of time limits can be set by using only a single timer. However, the timer is still disadvantageous in that the gear ratio changing mechanism is rather intricate which results in a high manufacturing cost.